That's how those who knew him will remember Hartjes, despite the nature of his death and the dramatic attempts to save his life in a parking lot on Wausau's west side.

Hartjes was born in 1941 in Park Falls, but he spent most of his life in Wausau. He owned Hartjes Auto Body in Wausau for more than 40 years, with two shops on Sixth Street and one on State 52. He worked with NASCAR driver Dave Marcis in the 70s. He also was an active member of the town of Texas Lions Club for 32 years.

Hartjes died Oct. 31 when a blood clot in his heart caused him to crash his car in a parking lot across the street from Eastbay, said Dean Nieuwenhuis, who was Hartjes' only child.

Two men pulled Hartjes away from the car, which had burst into flames, and burned their hands. Others tried to save him as well by calling 911 and giving him CPR. One of the men later shaved his head because several pieces of his hair caught on fire. Hartjes and the men who helped him were taken to the Aspirus Wausau Hospital. The rescuers were released from the hospital the same day. Hartjes was pronounced dead upon his arrival.

Nieuwenhuis sat down for an interview with the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin to share memories of his father, who never had to advertise his business because word of mouth always kept him busy. His dad would repair cars based on the customer's budget, as opposed to having a fixed price for everyone. More than 100 people attended Hartjes' funeral on Friday.

Nieuwenhuis said his father loved working on cars and racing. Hartjes helped Nieuwenhuis race in motocross events for 10 years and in stock cars for 20 years.

Hartjes had open heart surgery and a stroke in the past, but he never thought about retiring. His father had no desire to "sit and watch TV," Nieuwenhuis said. Because Hartjes owned the business, he could see his friends whenever he wanted.

"There was a concern (that he was working), but you could never tell him to stop," said Dean Nieuwenhuis' wife, Carla.

Dakota Martin of Merrill is one of the men who pulled Eugene Hartjes away from his burning car.(Photo: Arielle Hines/USA TODAY NETWORK- Wisconsin)

Nieuwenhuis said losing his father was horrible, but he believes he is indebted to those who tried to help Hartjes.

One of those men was Dakota Martin, 21, of Merrill, who was driving to pick up his aunt when he thought he saw a bright light. Martin said he saw a group of people across the street with their phones out and realized it was a fire. Then he noticed Hartjes was in flames, so he parked his car and rushed over to help.

"Something needed to be done, and all of those people by the street were on the phones, instead of doing something about it," Martin said.

Police initially said five or six people pulled Hartjes out of the car. Martin said he actually found him in a puddle of gasoline about three feet from the car. He first tried to extinguish the flames by putting his jacket over Hartjes' face, but it didn't work. "No matter how many times I tried to put him out, he kept lighting up over and over again," Martin said.

Mark Nelson, 36, of Wausau, the other man who burned his hand, was working at the kitchen of Rosati's Pizza during the incident. His boss yelled for him and when Nelson saw the fire, he ran out to help. Nelson put an apron on Hartjes to try to smother the flames.He said they carried Hartjes about 15 feet so they could get him away from the gasoline that was coming out of the damaged car.

The crash is not the first time Nelson's life has been touched by tragedy this year. The mother of his three children, Autumn Woodward, died from a heroin overdose at the Denmar Tavern in February.

Eventually, the men were able to put out the fire. Martin said he was ripping off the burned clothes while another person compressed Hartjes' chest.

Nelson said he's used to being burned because he works at a restaurant. Martin said didn't even realize his hands were burned until he was being checked over by paramedics because he was so focused on trying to help Hartjes.

Nieuwenhuis said that when he and his wife went to the hospital, two police officers stayed with the family for about an hour to explain the accident. Then the officers brought in Nelson and Martin to meet Hartjes' family.

"They all hugged me and they thanked Mark and I for being able to get him out of there," Martin said.

Nieuwenhuis said it was stressful for him to learn his father had died, and then to meet the men who tried to save him, but he is grateful for the efforts of Nelson and Martin.

"They didn't have to help him," Nieuwenhuis said. "They are just normal guys and they acted like they were firemen or policemen."

Nelson said he went back to work right away after he was released from the hospital and was able to take his three kids trick-or-treating the same night. Martin had to take time off from work.

Nieuwenhuis said it is comforting to know his dad died from the blood clot and not from the crash or the fire. He said a medical examiner told him Hartjes died within a minute and didn't feel any pain from the flames. Nelson said Hartjes was unresponsive after the fire, but he thought Hartjes was just in shock.

Martin said he doesn't feel like a hero and he wishes there is something more he could have done.

"When you see the last moments of someone's life, it's something you are not going to take lightly," Martin said.

Nieuwenhuis said he is at peace with his father's death. Hartjes never liked sitting still and would often say he wanted to die quickly.

CLOSE

WAUSAU - Bystanders pulled an injured man from a burning car Monday morning in downtown Wausau, with two of the rescuers injuring themselves in the process, a police official said.
T'xer Zhon Kha/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Nieuwenhuis wanted to give the bystanders something, but they refused to take anything from him. He said everyone's kindness has helped him get through a difficult time.

"With everything happening in the world, you can sometimes wonder if there are any decent people left, but there are," Nieuwenhuis said.